Here’s How Cornell Scientist Brian Wansink Turned Shoddy Data Into Viral Studies About How We Eat
Brian Wansink won fame, funding, and influence for his science-backed advice on healthy eating. Now, emails show how the Cornell professor and his colleagues have hacked and massaged low-quality data into headline-friendly studies to “go virally big time.”
This Controversial Ivy League Scientist Left His Kickstarter Donors High And Dry
Cornell University food scientist Brian Wansink, who’s embroiled in research misconduct allegations, now has another problem: Kickstarter donors who say they never got what they were promised. Wansink apologized to them after an inquiry from BuzzFeed News.
Scientists Are Doubting A Famous Study That Claimed You Can Be Easily Tricked Into A False Confession
A study made headlines in 2015 for claiming that 70% of people could be convinced they’d committed a false crime. Now critics are pushing back on the study — and it’s getting a formal correction.
This Biohacker Just Injected Himself With A DIY Herpes Treatment
Aaron Traywick made himself a guinea pig for a never-before-tested gene therapy for herpes made by his own company. Legal experts say that distributing these unproven therapies may be against the law.
The CDC Says It Will Keep Tracking The Flu During The Shutdown
The public health agency says it will continue tracking nationwide flu cases, though at a slower pace. Flu experts had worried the program would be paused, as it was in the 2013 shutdown.
Dudes Now Have An Easy Way Of Getting Drugs For Their Hair (And Their Sex Lives)
A wave of men’s health startups are prescribing balding and erectile-dysfunction drugs over the internet. But some doctors worry that the companies are set up to push medications on patients who might not need them.
Insurer Settles Lawsuit For $17 Million For Accidentally Outing HIV Patients
A lawsuit alleged that Aetna committed a privacy breach when it mailed thousands of envelopes that revealed patients’ HIV medications through the windows.
These Food Products Are Considered “Healthier” For Kids By The Food Industry
In response to criticism over its role in the childhood obesity epidemic, the food industry vowed to only run TV ads for “healthier” foods to kids. Critics say the industry’s self-imposed rules don’t do much beyond giving them good publicity.
Food Scientist Brian Wansink Is Getting Yet Another Paper Retracted, This Time For “Unreliable Data”
Brian Wansink of Cornell University is retracting his fifth paper in less than a year.
These 13 Startups And Products Didn’t Make It Through 2017
Goodnight, sweet Juicero machine.
No Words Are Actually Banned At The CDC, Its Director Says
CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald pushed back against a Washington Post report that her staff was prohibited from using seven words, including “transgender,” “fetus,” and “evidence-based.”
The Latest "Unicorn" Genetically Engineers Everything From Perfume To Food
Biotech startup Ginkgo Bioworks thinks the future of making stuff lies in genetic engineering.
A High-Profile Anti-Tobacco Crusader Is Being Sued For Sexual Harassment
A new lawsuit alleges that Stanton Glantz, a UC San Francisco scientist famous for taking on Big Tobacco, sexually harassed a former researcher and stole credit for her work. Glantz categorically denies the claims.
This Startup Has Invented Egg-Free Scrambled Eggs That Taste Like Eggs
After a tumultuous year, Hampton Creek is cooking up eggless scrambled eggs for the masses.
Cornell University Is Investigating This Controversial Research About Eating Behaviors
In April, Cornell said it had found no evidence of misconduct in four of Brian Wansink’s controversial papers on the psychology of eating. But now the school tells BuzzFeed News an investigation is “underway.”
An Ivy League Food Scientist Is Retracting Yet Another Paper
Cornell University food behavior scientist Brian Wansink has retracted another paper — his fourth this year. “There is no empirical support for the conclusions of the article,” the journal editors wrote.
This Ivy League Scientist Did A Bunch Of Food Surveys And Somehow Got The Same Number Of Responses Each Time
Cornell University scientist Brian Wansink is facing yet another formal correction — his eighth this year, along with three full retractions — for his research on the psychology of eating.
This Company Made Up Fake News And Fake Celeb Quotes To Sell Supplements, FTC Says
A Southern California company has settled charges that it created fake news articles and fake endorsements from stars like Jennifer Aniston to push unsubstantiated health claims about supplements and make millions of dollars.
The Ketogenic Diet Now Comes In A Tiny Bottle, But Dietitians Are Skeptical
There’s now a shortcut for the high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet — and it comes in a shot-sized bottle sold by the startup HVMN. But experts doubt it will actually help improve your athletic prowess as claimed.
This DNA Testing Company Is Violating Federal Lab Testing Rules
Orig3n, the startup behind a controversial plan to collect football fans’ DNA, doesn’t have the legal certification to sell genetic health tests.